The study showed he had scored three goals fewer than was previously thought.

The club had said: "It's worth noting that Cesar Rodriguez is the club's all-time top goalscorer in official matches, but the absolute record belongs to Paulino Alcantara, who scored 369 goals in 357 official and friendly matches."

The 24-year-old World Player of the Year, who is in his eighth season with Barca, has now scored 54 goals in all competitions this season.

"Messi is defining an era," said Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdez said of his team-mate. "He is the best."

He set the new record in a 5-3 Barcelona win over Granada which moves the Catalan side to within five points of league leaders Real Madrid.Use accessible player and disable flyout menusLionel Messi

Who does Messi admire most?

Rodriguez played mainly for Barcelona, winning five La Liga championships in 13 years with them.

He was the league's highest scorer in 1948-49 (28 in 24 games) and topped Barca's goal charts for seven consecutive seasons.

The forward, who also coached Barcelona in 1963-64, was famous for his ability to score goals from corners.

He scored six goals in 12 appearances for the Spanish national side between 1945 and 1952.

Post by marianqpr on Mar 21, 2012 0:19:08 GMT

Congratulations to Messi, what an achievement at 24 years of age.I just saw the goals on SSN, and it is difficult to see that record ever beaten.I agree with Mac that he seems like a nice guy, just gets on with his game and lets his football do the talking.